the die is cast

[Thad Van Gilder]

well, the furnace is cast.

I cast my furnace out of a homemade refractory cement. The recipe was 4 parts perlite to 1 part furnace cement.

I did the first firing saturday, and it didn't crack. I baked the lid in the oven and that didn't crack either.

Next weekend I am doing a full on propane fired firing.

I'll keep you all posted. By the way, total cost on the furnace and propane burner was 30 bucks.

-Thad

[johngsandusky]

Good luck, interested in how it goes. I've tinkered in home casting. Never really got it down.

[Joe Lambert]

How do you make the cement and where did you get designs?

[Garth Jones]

Thad,

What burner did you chose? I've seen much more expensive ones but have never been convinced that they were necessary (all from reading - I'm contemplating doing some casting in my shop, but my experience is limited).

Thanks,
Garth

[George Ray]

Want to hear all about your progress. I have been dreaming of doing some casting for several years.

I have an old lawn roller steel drum that has been patiently waiting to be turned into a furnace. I squirrel away furnace and burner plans (reil, etc) when I see them on the internet and then lose track of them as computers get sold, get the OS reinstalled and DON'T get backed up.
Yesterday I started a list of basics to order from BCS (Budget Casting Supplies) and I figure to start with a very basic charcoal furnace in the backyard with some firebrick and a blower. Plan to get a couple of crucibles ( Bronze and Alum ) and start by casting some ingots and then experiment with some lost foam patterns.
Would love to get some info on basic investment/lost wax and give that a try ..... soon?

[seo]

Perlite, as in vermiculite? No fooling? I once had to patch a MAJOR leak in a tugboat exhaust stack, and with the materials we had on board I ended up cutting up a small piece of fiberglass cloth into 1/2" short snips, and mixed that with Red Devil. Took the heat just fine, strong and easy to work with. Don't know if it would take really high heat.

[Thad Van Gilder]

OK, I used furnace cement from the big orage store. 10 bucks a half gallon.

I casted it in a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a number 10 coffee can wrapped in newspaper inside it.

I fired it, burn't out the paper and softened the bucket.

after the firing, I removed the coffee can, and while it was firing i cut the bucket off with a utility knife. the bucket didn't melt, it just got soft. (there was 3 inches of refractory between it and the can.)

I made the lid by eye like a kid with a mudpie. I baked it in the stove on a cookie sheet at 450 for 2 hours. I think it worked, but I want to make a new one with a mold already.

Oh yeah, after the initial firing, I will coat the whole inside with furnace cement.

I made the propane burner from a website on forging. it essentially was made from a 1 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch bell reducer attached to a 3/4 pipe nipple. the reducer was cross drilled for a 1/8 inch red brass 4 " pipe nipple caped on one end and hooked to the propane on the other. The orifice was a #60 hole drilled in the red brass pipe nipple and aimed down the 3/4 inch pipe nipple. I'll post the website when I find it again.

-Thad

[johngsandusky]

I went much more primitive. Built a kiln from firebrick, used blacksmiths coal, a blow drier through exhaust pipe for a bellows. I moved from that house before I had success, but I did melt and cast some pennies as an experiment.

[Thad Van Gilder]

so I fired her up, and the inside of the furnace turned into glass...

guess that furnace cement wasn't up to the job!!!

-Thad